OPINION

In November 2018, we co-hosted an Insider event with FIPP in Argentina and Chile about the role and value of digital editions. Given the Latin American venue, I decided to use a local coming-of-age tradition - a quinceañero - the 15th birthday milestone when a girl transitions from a child into a young woman in the community.

Rumours of the death of print media have been greatly exaggerated. While online publications have been experiencing tremendous growth in recent years, the fact is that 58 per cent of subscribers still describe themselves as primarily print-oriented, and 60-80 per cent of publisher revenues are still generated from print. It’s true that the majority of print-first subscribers are older, but that doesn’t mean younger audiences won’t pay for print. They will, and they do.

At UPM Communication Papers we have a long history of demonstrating responsibility for the environment. But few people know that our sustainability agenda extends to also include a commitment to taking care of people and society throughout the value chain whilst simultaneously creating value for our customers through delivering products with high sustainability credentials.

Forty-four per cent of the world’s news consumers get their news primarily via the smartphone, Reuters Institute states in its 2018 Digital News Report. But although technology has changed the distribution of news dramatically, the stories are still told in the same way as they were 100 years ago.

They say that being a CEO is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. It’s particularly difficult when their organisation is facing, or in the midst of, disruption – a word that’s overused, yes, but also one that fits the bill because it epitomises the intensity of confusion, panic, and distraction that comes with massive technical and social changes.

On Monday, Facebook launched Portal, a brand new hardware product designed to facilitate consumer conference calling. But on the back of the company’s biggest ever data breach, criticism of the device has already been high.

There are many brands using their relationships with customers and marketing budgets as a force for good in the world. Just over the weekend I listened to a Barclays radio advert discussing how to protect yourself from Facebook tracking, and the FMCG space has made excellent inroads to wider societal issues such as supplying clean water, providing education and preventing children from joining gangs.

Lately I’ve read a number of articles about newsrooms working with companies to grow engagement with readers by including audiences in the creation process. One article in particular caught my attention because it took a devil’s advocate stance on the issue stating, rather forcefully, that there was no proof that engagement leads to any tangible value and that people who believe it does are basing their opinion on gut instincts, not fact.